School is in: 7 computer security tips for students
These tips can help protect the computers you use from viruses, hackers, spyware, and other attacks.

1. Perform basic computer safety maintenance
Before you surf the Web, you should perform four key maintenance steps to help improve the computer's security:
Use an Internet firewall.
Update your computer.
Use up-to-date antivirus software.
Use up-to-date antispyware software.

2. Don't open files from strangers
E-mail and instant messaging (IM) can spread viruses and worms if you aren't careful. (Most e-mail viruses are spread by people who are tricked into opening an infected file.) You should never open a file attached to an e-mail or an instant message unless you recognize the sender and you are expecting the file.

3. Help fight spam and online scams
You can use technology such as e-mail filtering to help keep junk e-mail from deluging your screen.
Phishing is another threat to your privacy that could lead to the theft of your credit card numbers, passwords, account information, or other personal data. Con artists might send millions of fraudulent e-mail messages that appear to come from Web sites you trust, like your bank or credit card company, and request that you provide personal information.

4. Learn how to protect yourself from spyware
If your Web browser has been taken over by pop-up ads, or there are toolbars on your computer that you didn't download intentionally, your computer might be running spyware. Spyware is software that collects personal information from you without first letting you know what it's doing, and without asking for your permission. You might get spyware if you download music or file-sharing programs, free games from sites you don't trust, or other software programs from a suspicious Web site. Install and run up-to-date antispyware software to help protect your computer.

5. Take precautions when you go wireless
Many high school and college campuses have wireless networks, so you can surf the Web in the library, cafeteria, or a classroom. These networks are convenient, but they do come with a security risk. A few precautions to consider:
Don't connect to unprotected wireless networks—it's possible for someone to monitor your Internet usage and even record your passwords.
If you do connect to an unprotected wireless network, don't visit a Web site that requires a password unless the Web site is encrypted. To find out if it's encrypted, look for a lock symbol in the lower-right corner of your browser.
If you're not surfing the Internet or sending e-mail, but still using your computer in an area where there is a public wireless network, disable your wireless connection. If you're using an external WiFi card you can remove it. If you're using an internal WiFi card, right-click the connection and click Disable.

6. Password protect your computer—and lock it
Passwords are the first line of defense in protecting your computer from criminals, pranksters, or a careless roommate. If you don't use a password to log on to your computer, anyone can access your computer and unlock it. Your password should be at least 8 characters, and should include a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.

7. Back up your work
The image of students losing their term papers because they forgot to back up their work has almost become a cliché. Still, many of us don't have the time to back up.

How to help your kids use social networking web sites more safely

You may already know that blogging—keeping a public "Web log" or personal journal online—is common among teens and even younger kids. Now kids can also create personal Web pages on social networking Web sites hosted by services like Windows Live Spaces, MySpace, Friendster, Facebook, and others. These Web pages can often be viewed by anyone with access to the Internet.

With these services, which are extremely popular among teenagers, kids can fill out profiles that can include Photos, Videos and Personal information such as full names, locations, and cell phone numbers. Often the services that host the social networking sites provide several different ways for people to communicate with one another, including blogging and instant messaging features.

Kids use social networking sites to connect with kids who might live halfway around the world and with kids whom they pass every day in the hallways at school. Social networking can provide a helpful way for kids to express their emotions or even to perform unofficial background checks on other kids they meet at parties and at school. For example, after they meet another kid in person, a kid might visit that other kid's Web site to find out if he or she might be someone they'd like to be friends with. Unfortunately, the information that kids post on their pages can also make them vulnerable to predators.

Here are several ways you can help your kids can use social networking Web sites more safely.

Set your own house Internet rules. As soon as your children begin to use the Internet on their own, it is a good idea to come up with a list of rules that you all can all agree on. These rules should include whether your children can use social networking Web sites and how they can use them.

Ensure your kids follow age limits on the site. The recommended age for signing up for social networking sites is usually 13 and over. If your children are under the recommended age for these sites, do not let them use the sites. It is important to remember that you cannot rely on the services themselves to keep your underage child from signing up.

Educate yourself about the site. Evaluate the site that your child plans to use and read the privacy policy and code of conduct carefully. Also, find out if the site monitors content that people post on their pages. Also, review your child's page periodically.

Insist that your children never meet anyone in person that they've communicated with only online, and encourage them to communicate only with people they've actually met in person. Kids are in real danger when they meet strangers in person whom they've communicated with only online. You can help protect your children from that danger by encouraging them to use these sites to communicate with their friends, but not with people they've never met in person. It might not be enough to simply tell your child not to talk to strangers, because your child might not consider someone they've "met" online to be a stranger.

Ensure your kids don't use full names. Have your children use only their first names or a nickname, but not a nickname that would attract the wrong kind of attention. Also, do not allow your children to post the full names of their friends.

Be wary of other identifiable information in your child's profile. Many social networking sites allow kids to join public groups that include everyone who goes to a certain school. Be careful when your children reveal this and other information that could be used to identify them, such as where they work or the name of the town they live in, especially if it is a small one.

Consider using a site that is not very public. Some social networking sites allow you to password-protect your site or use other methods to help limit viewers to only people your child knows. Many sites allow you to set permissions for who can view your site, ranging from anyone on the Internet to only people you choose.

Be smart about details in photographs. Explain to your children that photographs can reveal a lot of personal information. Encourage your children not to post photographs of themselves or their friends with clearly identifiable details such as street signs, license plates on their cars, or the name of their school on their sweatshirts.

Warn your child about expressing emotions to strangers. You've probably already encouraged your kids not to communicate with strangers directly online. However, kids use social networking Web sites to write journals and poems that often express strong emotions.
Explain to your children that these words can be read by anyone with access to the Internet and that predators often search out emotionally vulnerable kids.

Communicate with your children about their experiences. Encourage your children to tell you if something they encounter on one of these sites makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened. Stay calm and remind your kids they are not in trouble for bringing something to your attention.

Remove your child's page. If your children refuse to abide by the rules you've set to help protect their safety, you can contact the social Web site your child uses and ask them to remove the page. You may also want to investigate Internet-filtering tools as a complement to—not a replacement for—parental supervision.

Recognize phishing scams and fraudulent e-mails

Phishing is a type of deception designed to steal your valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, passwords, account data, or other information. Con artists might send millions of fraudulent e-mail messages that appear to come from Web sites you trust, like your bank or credit card company, and request that you provide personal information.

What does a phishing scam look like?
As scam artists become more sophisticated, so do their phishing e-mail messages and pop-up windows.
They often include official-looking logos from real organizations and other identifying information taken directly from legitimate Web sites.

The image to the left is an example of what a phishing scam e-mail message might look like.

This is an example of a phishing e-mail message, including a deceptive URL address linking to a scam Web site. To make these phishing e-mail messages look even more legitimate, the scam artists may place a link in them that appears to go to the legitimate Web site (1), but it actually takes you to a phony scam site (2) or possibly a pop-up window that looks exactly like the official site.

These copycat sites are also called "spoofed" Web sites. Once you're at one of these spoofed sites, you might unwittingly send personal information to the con artists.


How to tell if an e-mail message is fraudulent

Here are a few phrases to look for if you think an e-mail message is a phishing scam.

"Verify your account." Businesses should not ask you to send passwords, login names, Social Security numbers, or other personal information through e-mail. If you receive an e-mail from legitimate companies asking you to update your credit card information, do not respond: this phishing scam.

"If you don't respond within 48 hours, your account will be closed." These messages convey a sense of urgency so that you'll respond immediately without thinking. Phishing e-mail might even claim that your response is required because your account might have been compromised.

"Dear Valued Customer."
Phishing e-mail messages are usually sent out in bulk and often do not contain your first or last name.

"Click the link below to gain access to your account." HTML-formatted messages can contain links or forms that you can fill out just as you'd fill out a form on a Web site. The links that you are urged to click may contain all or part of a real company's name and are usually "masked," meaning that the link you see does not take you to that address but somewhere different, usually a phony Web site.

Notice in the example that resting the mouse pointer on the link reveals the real Web address, as shown in the box with the yellow background. The string of cryptic numbers looks nothing like the company's Web address, which is a suspicious sign.